PASADENA
Celebrate Mars The Wild about Mars Weekend is timed to coincide with NASA's Mars Exploration Rover landing and the Stardust mission's scheduled rendezvous with the Comet Wild 2. Attendees of the two-day space-exploration expo can witness these historical events live from NASA's mission control. Meet Apollo 11's Buzz Aldrin and Bill Nye the Science Guy, visit exhibits, and operate robotic rovers over simulated Mars terrain. Jan 3-4; $22 (one day) or $37 (two days), ages 6-16 $14 (one day) or $24 (two days). Pasadena Conference Center, 300 E. Green St.; www.planetary.org or (800) 969-6277.
MALIBU
Hike and dine The new Corral Canyon Trailhead runs through a diverse range of habitats, from the coast through the Santa Monica Mountains. The 2 1/2-mile loop climbs about 400 feet, and, depending on the day, you could look down on big sweeps of ocean or get a more moody look at fog drifting into the unspoiled canyon (go clockwise and save the views for the end). After you're done, grab lunch at Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market and Patio Cafe, right next to the trailhead. Corral Canyon Park, off Pacific Coast Hwy. about 1 1/2 miles west of Malibu Canyon Rd.; (310) 589-3200. Malibu Seafood, 25653 Pacific Coast Hwy.; www.malibuseafood.com or (310) 456-3430.
CARLSBAD
Remember tunes Listen to your favorite melodies, from John Philip Sousa's rendition of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" to the Beatles' "All You Need is Love," at the Museum of Making Music. Five galleries display more than 500 vintage instruments spanning a century of American musical genres and innovations. Closed Mon; $5, $3 ages 4-17, ages 3 and under free. 5790 Armada Dr.; www.museumofmakingmusic.org or (760) 438-5996.
OCEANSIDE
Admire surfboards Ride the waves with surfers who have changed the course of history through their innovative surfboard designs at The Surfer-Shapers, a new exhibit at the California Surf Museum. See examples of design evolution, from ancient Hawaiian versions to the solid-wood planks of the early 1900s by Hawaii's Duke Kahanamoku to the modern foam-and-fiberglass shapes of the 1950s. Begins in early Jan (will be on display for at least a year), 10-4 Thu-Mon; free. 223 N. Coast Hwy.; www.surfmuseum.org or (760) 721-6876.
― Matthew Jaffe, Hilary Townsend
